Interagency work to extend visa-free travel arrangement with China underway - Russian Foreign Ministry

ST. PETERSBURG. April 6 (Interfax) - Interagency work is in progress to extend the visa-free travel arrangement between Russia and China, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.

"We are hearing such statements from our Chinese friends [on China's readiness to extend visa-free travel for Russians for another year]. Interagency work on this issue is ongoing," Zakharova told reporters on the sidelines of the WomanWings forum in St. Petersburg on Monday.

The Russia-China visa-free travel initiative "has shown itself to the best advantage," she said

China introduced visa-free travel for Russian citizens unilaterally from September 15, 2025 for a period of one year. Only a foreign travel passport is currently needed to travel to the country. In response, Russia also introduced visa-free travel for Chinese citizens starting from December 1, 2025.

The Izvestia newspaper reported on Monday, citing the Russian Foreign Ministry, that China has notified Russia of its readiness to extend this visa-free travel arrangement for Russians for another year until September 2027.